Galapagos tortoises at the zoo [ZSL]

LONDON Zoo says its reptile house is “not fit for purpose” and its Galapagos tortoises have outgrown their home.

Now the attraction in Regent’s Park wants planning permission to construct a new home for its snakes, lizards, frogs and crocodiles, as well as a brand new shelter for its famously large, shell-backed residents.

Ben Tapley, who is the zoo’s herpetology chief, said: “Galapagos tortoises are the largest tortoises in the world. “These animals have now outgrown their exhibit and since we have had them in the collection, we have learnt much more about their husbandry needs.

“As a result we need to develop new facilities to ensure that the tortoises have much more space.”

The giant, lumbering species – which fascinated Charles Darwin in the 19th century – can weigh up to 65 stone and live for 150 years. The current Reptile House, built in 1927, will be converted for use as a possible heritage museum.

How the new reptile and tortoise house will look

“Two commissioned services have confirmed that the Reptile House is no longer fit for purpose and is in need of extensive and substantial refurbishment,” the zoo’s planning application to neighbouring Westminster Council said.

The Reptile House appears in a famous scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in which a Burmese python speaks Parseltongue to the Hogwarts student wizard for the first time. Meanwhile, the Tortoise House, which was built in 2009, will be “repurposed for animal accommodation”.

The zoo said research had “evolved” and it was now considered better for the Galapagos tortoises to be kept inside in “an indoor climate-controlled facility”.

A new home for the tortoises – called Dolly, Polly and Priscilla – is planned for a former amphitheatre show area in the zoo. Sir David Attenborough led a fundraising campaign to save the zoo in the summer, and its chief executive criticised the government over funding.

The proposed Reptile House is part of a plan “to address the main animal welfare concerns of the organisation” and attract visitors back to the zoo.